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What if~George Washington was crowned a King?
When fantasy media tells the tale of a world with a history totally different from our own, they can tell tales of how one nation came to be or how one war ended. Now, I am no fan of the Assassin's Creed video game franchise, but in one of the games, it tells the tale of our beloved first President: George Washington not becoming President, but a King who ruled for life. So, what if in an alternate scenario, Washington *did* become King, what would America be like if it was a Monarchy? This is what this page will try to cover. Before we begin, this scenario does sound "ridiculously unrealistic" because even the thought of having a King rule over the USA was unpopular with Americans, especially on how King George the 3rd was treating Americans, such as taxing the skivvies out of them, telling Americans how to run their business, British soldiers patrolling the streets and going into people's homes *without* their permission. So, the Americans really didn't want a King (not even George Washington). But it really doesn't sound *too* farfetched. Keep in mind that the American Revolution was actually a "National Experiment". This particular experiment was to create a brand-new type of government (one without a King), but it was also to find a way to unify the 13 colonies. The biggest problem with experiments is that there's always that chance where it'll fail, or not going to work as you want it to. Also keep in mind that this is the 1780s here, and the USA wasn't an "invincible superpower" ''that we came to know and love today. The USA was a "weak & fragile" nation especially in comparison to the imperial powers of Europe. In fact, the USA back during its inception wasn't even a "unified political body" as we know it today. The colonies (states) had their very own laws and customs, and thus colonial or eventually state identity was far more important to the American people than national identity. When the US Government ratified the Articles of Confederation in 1777, it had little national authority. Of course, this wouldn't work out very well. Thus, this paves the way for a far better political document, the Consitution. But the constitution had its own fair share of problems. When the American people learned of the Constitution, some see it as controversial (just as much as the Articles of Confederation) because some see it as giving the federal government "too much" power. As said before, crowning a King to rule over multiple different and unique regions was not only unpopular but also politically incorrect for the time. So this is why this scenario is so complicated. Because a lot of things have to go differently (and/or) wrong for Early America in order for........even the thought of crowning a King is even entertained. As said before, in 1777 the Government ratified the Articles of Confederation. This was an attempt to find a way to fund the government during the war. The problem was that its funding was reliant on the states to give it the fund, but the states (unsurprisingly) were reluctant to do this. This put the USA in a surprisingly bad position as it had no money, and almost no military force to fight with. Any American with considerable knowledge about the history of their own home nation would know that the USA was heavily reliant on colonial (or state) militias as the federal government had a little fighting force of its own, and even with this, there were rebellions within these militia forces, which forced the government to revise the articles. These numerous revising of the articles became too much for the government, and that is why the articles were eventually scrapped, and thus we have the Consitution. Now, with a new, much better document made, the question is now, how can America maintain its republican values while staying a large nation it is? '''Forward: '''This is not about modern Republicanism here, this is about the ideology in the 1780s which were quite different. By the 1780s, Republicanism was quite sporadic, confined to mostly small towns, and even some cities. It is said that you need to sacrifice some of the values of Republicanism if you want to maintain a large republic (like the USA), and you need a strong, national government that has control over the states (strong by 18th century standards). This was a debatable topic, and this created the 2 of USA's political parties. Those who wanted a "strong, national government" were known as "Federalists" (now, Democrats) and those who wanted less nationalized authority were known as "Democratic-Republicans" (now, just Republicans). Now, even with this "debatable" government. There's still little chance for an "American Monarchy" to come into power, as both parties didn't want a monarchy. It was still unpopular amongst the masses, and the government wasn't just going to throw up the white flag and crown a King. The only way that a King in the USA would rise, is if there are 2 factors. The current system goes horribly awry, and a man that wants control. The Scenario Let's say it's 1785, and the Articles of Confederation is a much bigger disaster for the USA, so much so that it hurts the idea of a large scale republic. This causes an economic crisis in Early America much bigger than in our reality. Like in our reality, the better alternative is to have a centralized government. In desperation, and seizing an opportunity, everybody's favorite war hero: George Washington says to the government that the only way to save America and Liberty is to establish a Constitutional Monarchy. Let's stop for a while as we need to point out a few things. First, George Washington having the ides of establishing a Constitutional Monarchy would be completely out of character for him as he himself didn't want a King, and that means he didn't want to become King himself. He was a humble man and wanted people to call him "Mr. President" rather than "His Highness" or "His Majesty". But Washington would be America's *only* chance to have a Monarchy, and that is if things in America are in such dire straights that Government officials are actually fearing for their lives, let alone their properties. Also, this page has to answer a curious question. "Why can't Washington just mass an army and overthrow the government?" Here's the answer. The US Government's manpower (by the mid-1780s) was at a wheaty 75 men, and even with this, you still have to deal with militias from each state. So, the nation would just collapse into civil war. So, the Government giving in to Washington's demands this is the only "legal" way for a Constitutional Monarchy to be established. This Constitutional Monarchy would be like the US Constitution in our reality. But it has a King instead of a President. Now, what an American King would be, is basically like the American President. Though the Government still makes up the laws, the King is the final arbiter of the laws that go into effect as well as making them null and void. But, what this inadvertently does is *not* make America a Democracy since there are no free elections. A King stays in power until he either dies or decides to abdicate the throne. That's the new US Government. Even with this, the possibility for the USA to prosper is slim. So, Goerge Washington is crowned King (Goerge the 1st). The effects and reactions to this are immediate and detrimental to the USA. In the USA, its revolution would quickly become a "pointless endeavor" in the minds of the American Public as the idea of having a King rule the USA goes against Liberty and Freedom. They will even begin to think that all of the fighting and all of the dying the Americans did in the war just amounted to nothing in the long run. Like in our reality, Early America's problems would be present, and in this alternate reality the American Public would just look back at George the 3rd and Britain with nostalgia as George the 3rd was the "legal" King, and in the very least the colonies were financially and culturally stable under his rule. In other parts of the world (namely Europe) this would create more problems for America, and the reason is that they are a monarchy and not a rogue nation and in the minds of European Royalties, America wants to see itself as an equal to European Royalties, who will either see it as either a joke or worse an insult. Especially with Britain (who the Americans fought a war against), and America would receive the worst treatment from, with this America's relation with Britain would remain uneasy and not very likely to recover. Thus the USA and Britain would remain rivals leading up to the 19th century. The Americans already rebelled against the "rightful King", and because Washington wasn't of noble descent, this would also hurt America's chance to make legitimate relations with other nations around the world. As for France, who just got done doing away with its own Monarchy, would be shocked and disgusted upon learning that America turned its back on a Republic. So, France wouldn't like America very much in this alternate reality. King Washington would rule over a confused and divided nation (despite what the constitution says). Even after Washington's death (in 1799) the nation is still divided and confused. The question is now, who will take Washington's place? In our reality, Washington had no children of his own. He eventually adopted a son, but he died during the war. Though Washington could've produced an heir during his time as King, for the sake of this scenario, let's say this doesn't happen. So, who will be the next King of the USA? This boy above, Washington's step-grandson: ''George Washington Parke Custis. He is crowned a King George the 2nd. Because Custis isn't related to Washington by blood, this would only weaken the American King's legitimacy, and America would just be a fringe on the rest of the world. Now, the destiny of America is determined by one man for decades at a time. Not the best conditions for stability as this is not something that the American people would just deal with. By the 1810s, the Napoleonic Wars were just about over. America didn't do much but Perhaps occasionally interacted with the house of Bonaparte. The British didn't care much about America, that is until they become a threat, by wanting Canada. Historically, America has plans for Canada, and that is one of the many reasons for the War of 1812, this war still happens in this alternate reality. The war was a sideshow for the British especially after defeating France, they can care less about the problems they might have had with the USA. But just remember that this in an alternate reality, and Britain and America are in a far worse relationship by crowning a King of their own, and even helping Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars as well. So, the Brits may want revenge on the USA because of it. By now, America would be so divided, some may even refuse to participate in the war. The USA is just another 2-bit "Kingdom" ruled by a King that the people didn't want or even asked. So, in the minds of Americans, the idea of a national government is unpopular as it's been already decided that they just bring Kings. The War of 1812 is now underway, only this time, the Brits more into their war effort (more ships, more troops, more supplies, you get the point). The USA may have a considerable size army. But against a fighting force like Britain (and after fighting against Napoleon), they have no chance. The USA suffer more defeats than in our reality. Defeats in Canada, Detroit, Baltimore, New Orleans and eventually Washington DC (forcing the Royal Family into exile) were all huge blows to the USA. The American people, demotivated as it is. Decide to give up on their country. That Spirit of Revolution was gone for some time, and the defeat against the Brits was the final nail in the coffin for the USA. The American Revolution will forever be just a "pointless endeavor". What happens now is that the Royal family is executed, but also the states would just leave the union, and for some, this can be seen as some kind of liberty. The future of the states is undetermined, but some may re-join Britain, some may join Canada, or some may be independent entities of their own right. But, the United States of America would be considered dead on arrival. A failed experiment, and was ruled by a King. Just one giant hypocrisy that tainted not just the revolution but also what the USA could've meant. Except for France, Haiti and a few other places. This can also have an impact on other sub-nations ruled by others, perhaps they don't revolt. But, we'll never know what exactly would happen. What do you think if America became a Monarchy? Don't forget to check out my Games and Movies wikis too. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out.